I am writing this from work (where I have no blog access) and emailing it to myself and it has been so long since the last blog update that I am not quite sure when it was from or what was in it. I will assume that the last post was from before I went on my two week holiday for Christmas and New Year's, so I will start from there.

While on the one hand I wanted to work the days that weren't holidays so that I could at least earn money for rent/food/entertainment, it was really nice having two weeks off on the other. I was able to get out and do a little bit of travelling, though not as much as I had planned initially. I spent my Christmas eve at a BBQ out at Bondi Beach and wound up catching a taxi home about 3 or 4 I suppose. Christmas day I slept in, took a run in the afternoon and had some leftovers for dinner. As you can see, I don't really celebrate much if I'm not back in the US with family. It really doesn't seem like Christmas when it is sunny hot and green, thus it was just another day for me.

After xmas and Boxing day had passed, cool Ethan and I took a train out to the blue mountains for some hiking. We arranged a tour with an aboriginal guide who met us (small group of 10) at a train station that was sort of in the middle of nowhere. We spent the day hiking up and down the mountains. In the end we did about 8 kms (5 miles). Our guide was an archaeologist of sorts and had spent quite some time searching for aboriginal meeting places. He lead us around to all of these sites and showed us old rock carvings and cave art. He taught us about Aboriginal Dreamtime spirituality and culture. All very interesting as they are the oldest continuous surviving culture on the planet: 50-60,000 years right now! We stopped for lunch at a billabong and waterfall and got to use the ochre paints that are so characteristic of the aboriginal body art. We learned what all of the symbols mean: squiggly lines, dots, U's spirals, circles and all that. After thoroughly tattooing ourselves we carried on to where the tribes used to hold corroborrees (from where the English corroborate comes?) and demonstrated some dance for us. All along the way we learned about bugs and insects and animals as well as munching on some bush tucker. We shoved eucalyptus up our nostrils and chewed on sarsparilla. At the end of the walkabout he took out a wooden block on a string and started swinging it around. It made an awe-inspiring sound - it was a bull roarer. We tipped back a couple of schooeys at the pub while we waited for the train to haul our weary selves back to Sydney. This is definitely the kind of experience I had come in search of. Not hopping on some tour bus that bandies camera snapping tourists around all the big sights in the mountains. I'd highly recommend this tour to anyone up for a physical challenge and an interest in Aboriginal life.

A few days later and it was time for New Year Eve celebrations! I went and met my friends at Mrs. Macquaries chair, which overlooks the harbour bridge and opera house. We picnicked for the day and watched the fireworks -and they were the best fireworks I've ever seen- before heading back to Newtown for a house party. I made an early night and went home about 4. New Years day I headed over to Coogee beach to watch the Barmy Army play the Aussie cricket fans (Australia had won back the Ashes by this point), which is tradition when the Ashes are played in Australia. After seeing a few wickets taken by the Aussies I headed up to Bondi for another BBQ. By now the weather had finally got back to normal (after being out of season since I have been here - colder than normal). I spent the next week I had off just hanging around at various beaches and surfing. Just before heading back to work I had 4 of my friends leave Sydney and Ethan moved out to Bondi, so a fair bit of change went on. I have a new flatmate now and for most of January went out a lot less. New flatmate - Liz from Richmond, VA- is good and I have been able to save some money for travelling as well as focus on my new year's resolutions.

January has been pretty low key. I've been eating much healthier food and running faster and for longer periods of time (and more often), so I feel pretty good about that. A few weekends ago I went out to Bondi for an international short film festival. I wasn't really that impressed, only a couple of the films were even worth my attention. Next day there was a massive Brasilian Jazz (bosanova) concert in the Domain (big park in the city) so I ambled on down and hung out with Ethan and Tulio. We tried to find a house party in the rocks that had no address... didn't really happen. Next day I went out to the Taronga Zoo with Barez to what you do at a zoo: see animals! It was a bit expensive, though as backpacker new to Australia I left quite impressed. I was able to get up close with kangaroos, koalas, emus, crocodiles, blue tongued lizards, komodo dragons, wallabies, echidnas, and just about any other Australian creature that might exist. Some of the cages had double sets of doors, so you could actually go inside with the animals. I stood 5 feet from a roo with nothing between us! Well I thought it was neat. It's also a good idea to have gone there because now I know what creatures I DON'T want to meet in the bush look like! Taipans and brown snakes and the like. The one downside is that the zoo is really expensive. I think the zoo should be part subsidised, so long as the animals are given the proper habitat and little kids can learn about environmental issues.

After the zoo, it was off to Bondi for yet another BBQ. I think I have had a proper Aussie summer whilst living here! What started as a few snags and beers turned into a 10 hour drinking session with multiple runs to the Bottle-O for compari and sambuca. Barez got really drunk and became hilarious. Tulio and I outdrank him and were just fine. Silly Canadians. I finished off the night by calling the police (000, not 911) on this bloke who was assaulting what appeared to be his date in the middle of the street. I yelled at him first, then told him I was calling the cops. He wouldn't stop so I did. He basically had this bird in a head lock and was dragging her down the street. She was able to break away at first and run away but he ran after her and yanked her arm and started draggin her along again. Then he stole her purse and she was crying (to me I think) that I should call for help. We waited around for a minute and things kinda settled down so we carried on to the bus stop. I guess domestic abuse is pretty common here, but it sure gave me enough excitement and adrenaline for one night!

The following weekend everyone quietly disappeared so I had the house to myself. It was well over 40 so I took it easy and just relaxed - quite literally did nothing of interest at all (aside from watching Twin Peaks). I've learned how to make sushi! Cheap easy and delicious, but I'm pretty bad at it so it ends up being slightly messy. Tomorrow is Australia Day. You could sort of equate it to the 4th of July in the US, but not quite. 26/1/1788 commemorates the landing of the first fleet at what is now Sydney. There will be lots of beer and fireworks tomorrow. I think that about brings me up to date with what I have been up to since mid-December. I've got the bulk of my travel plans laid out; at least I know where I am going and what to do once there. How and when remain unanswered.

I have to say I am kinda tired of Sydney. I don't get the same feeling of wonder and awe I do from London. Don't get me wrong, I am loving it down here, the beaches are great and I have made a ton of friends. But in a way that I don't quite know how to describe, I have a much greater affinity for Europe. It really hit me after I read Bill Bryson's "Notes From A Big Country." I could easily live here longer than 4 months, but I am ready to come back to the US, and start to think about "settling" there. I use quotes because I still plan on moving out to NZ at some point. But I have until I am 30 to do that. New York City is definitely in the near future, after a summer in the Minneapple.

One last thing before I complete this novel: I was once again refused service at a bar last night! And this time it was for being, get this, from the United States. Seriously. Just another bar to add to Pat and I's list of places we have been thrown out of, banned from, asked to leave, refused service, etc.

It only took me 6 days to get this posted! And now there is so much more to update about. Fuck not having a computer!